1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to cleaning devices for painting implements, and more particularly but not by way of limitation, to a cleaning apparatus for a paint roller assembly having a roller cover used for painting surfaces.
2. Discussion
Many paints that are presently available are water based paints that can be diluted or dissolved by water before the paints dry. Such water based paints are frequently applied by the use of the well known paint roller assembly which has a roller applicator and roller cover for the application of the paint. Following the painting job or when terminating the painting process, it is necessary to clean the roller cover such as by washing it with water. This can be achieved by holding the roller cover under a stream of water issuing from a conveniently located faucet or garden hose, but in addition to being quite messy, adequate cleaning of the roller cover of the applicator is difficult to achieve by this technique. That is, this crude cleaning method seldom leads to complete cleaning of the roller cover, and it is often the case that the washed off paint splashes onto surfaces that are left with the residue of the cleaning task.
Prior art cleaning apparatuses that have been made for cleaning paint from roller applicators have been numerous, and have included, for example: U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,027, issued to Glunt, provides a vertically extending cylindrical container having a manifold assembly with a pair of vertically extending spray manifolds. A paint cover to be cleaned must be removed from the paint roller assembly and mounted on a support mechanism that supports the paint cover such that water is jetted both on its external and internal surfaces from a plurality of apertures along the length of each of the two spray manifolds.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,769 issued to Howe, provides for the support of a paint cover which has been removed from its roller applicator and supported vertically in a cylindrical container. The jetting end of a garden hose is extended through a vertically extending slot in the wall of the container; a flexible sealing flap over the slot permits entry of the hose end while generally sealing the slot. The garden hose can be moved along the slot as the water jetting therefrom cleans the paint form the paint cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,364, issued to Smith, teaches a paint roller sleeve washer that similarly supports the roller sleeve, or roller cover, on a rotatable spindle and jetting cleaning fluid from a nozzle body is directed thereagainst. The nozzle body is support for reciprocal movement along an open slot in the wall of the container, and an internal baffle partially shields the slot from backsplashing of the cleaning fluid.
Representative of the numerous other devices for cleaning paint roller applicators are the following: U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,673 issued to Conley, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,428,060 issued to Spivey; U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,808 issued to Wallis et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,562 issued to Ossi; U.S. Pat. No. 2,831,488 issued to Anderson; U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,722 issued to Pennise; U.S. Pat. No. 3,075,534 issued to Habostad; U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,152 issued to Hibberd; U.S. Pat. No. 3,755,840 issued to Barger; U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,066 issued to Shipman; U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,258 issued to Rossborough et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,717 issued to Rannigan et al. None of these prior art teachings has provided a completely satisfactory apparatus for cleaning a paint roller applicator.
The present invention provides an improved roller cleaning apparatus which quickly, efficiently and neatly cleans the roller cover of a paint roller applicator for water based paints.